The Portland daily press., 1887-06-25
ANIMALS IN CHURCH.
An Injunction Against CaterpiIIars.
A Hog Hanged for Murder.
Letter to N. Y. Man and Express.

Letter 10 N Y. Mail and Expressl
Rats are, indeed, a very mischievous as
well as interesting animals and If they had
their language more perfected and the means
Of transmitting and perpetuating their
thoughts more generally understood, they
might have books to read and stories to tell
about their condition of seryitude- slavery
and political submission-that would stir the
blood Of their more elevated bipedal rela-
tives; ana who knows but that meagre as
| their learning is they remember to this day
the former cruelty and humiliating contempt
| they were subjected to.
Homer-like some old blind rat with cuts
and scars, that tell the history Of many n
narrow escape, ON his body, and short,
stubby tail that speaks very loudly of the in
difference OF the surgeon and stands out as a
constant censure Of nature for inflcting on
1t so worthless and dangerous an appendage,
may be going about from home to home sing
ing the praise and speaking the lays Of many
a dead hero and bold battle march. We hope
there is such a rat, and may he have great
success in his concerts, il in so doing he
can soften their hearts toward men, Not
outstanding the good qualities of some rats
they are In general very troublesome, aud, as
history will show, always have been.
My purpose was to show you how our wise
ancestors dealt with them and other trouble
some vermin and animals. They did pretty
much as some Of your backyard neighbors
would do with you II they had the chance
they sued them. You wouldn't suppose a rat
would care for that, but from the records it
seems Judgment against him troubled him
much more than 1t does the average Ameri-
can citizen. None of rats household goods
were exempt, even his clothes could be taken,
and as final remedy his skin could be sold
so you see there was great need that a rat
should keep free of all litigable alterations
Great care was necessary in bringing the
suit The. average young lawyer Of Pitts
burg would be n0nSuited ten times before
his pleadings would pass these rats attorney.
The rats had one standing advantage, they
never had the costs to pay. They had differ
ent courts for different classes of animals.
Domestic animals were tried in the ordinary
criminal courts, while wild and nOxiOus ami
mails like rats were tried in the ecclesiastical
courts. 1t was q fatal error to get in the
wrong court Other courts also had some
jurisdiction, but it is a sad fact that no JUS
tlce Of the peace ever, had the opportunity
Of unfolding his well filled conVolutions Of
brain cells and pouring forth his profound
knowledge in one Of those interesting trials
They likely all waived hearing before him.
The first case Of animal sueing we know
anything about was when the Bishop of
Leon issued his injunction against the cater
pillars and field mice. An INDUCTION, you
know, means an order from court not to do a
certain thing. The mice and caterpillars
had been eating up their crops and the coun
ty had sued them and won the suit, hence
the injunction that they should stop.
Whether they did or not is not recorded In
criminal cases the mode of trial was very
much the same that prevails today. The an
lmal that committed crime was arrested
and put in prison. The proeurer, as he
was called then, or prosecuting attorney,
heard and committed to writing all the testi-
mony in the case and if the animal was con
victed by him of homicide, say, the Judge
pronounced the sentence, which was that
the animal be hung by the neck or legs, ac-
cordlng to the nature Of the animal, until he
was dead.
An example of a sentence is found in the
"Annuaile du Department de pAisne,'
which was pronounced on hog June IA,
1494, for strangling a child. 1t concludes
thus: 1--WE, in detestation and horror of this
crime, and in order to make an example and
satisfy justice. have declared, judged, sem
fenced, pronounced and appointed that the
said hog, being detained prisoner and con-
fined in said abbey, shall be by the execu-
TONER hung and strangled on gibbet near
the gallows in the jurisdiction of the said
monks, being near the copyhold Of Alvin. In
witness OF which we have sealed this present
with our seal" The sentence was labelled:
sentence on hog executed by justice,
brought into the copyh0ld Of Clarmont and
strangled on gibbet at Avin.". 1t was seal
ed with red wax.
This was the history of the tragic death of
mady poor animal. What terrible warn
ing that must have been to the animal king
dom in general. They were hanged with
great solemnity, the admission of all rela-
tiyes having been denied, and in some cases
even prayer for their souls denied.
In civil cases the procedure was different
Experts were appointed to view the damage
done and estimate it. Then an attorney was
appointed to defend the offending animals,
to see that they got justice and a fair trial
They were then summoned to appear, and if
they failed, as they generally did, after the
third summons judgment was given against
them by default. They were then ordered to
leave the district and get off the earth with
in certain time, which. if they did not do,
they were very severely and solemnly anath-
ematized. IL they did not then leave, as
they often did not, the whole blame was
thrown on Satan, who sometimes plagued
and annoyed mankind in spite of their eff
forts. There were hundreds Of cases of an
imal prosecution up as late as the seven
teenth century, great many of which are
very interesting and instructive, both as
stories and as illustrating the growth of
psychology